Help Us - Trial and Error - Dennis Dechaine

Prison life is difficult, especially if you shouldn’t be there, and Dennis Dechaine has been incarcerated since 1988. Staying in touch with the outside world is extremely important to him. He reads voraciously, takes college courses whenever they’re available (he had two degrees already), and he relishes visits from family and friends.

You can write to him at Dennis Dechaine, #1725; Maine State Prison, 807 Cushing Road, Warren ME 04864. Among his many interests are nature, farming and foreign language. While he loves receiving mail, he isn’t always able to respond.

If you are interested in visiting Dennis, we ask that you contact Trial & Error’s Bill Bunting ( or 207-549-5739). Dennis is allowed a limited number of visits, and as of April, 2012, it is no longer possible to schedule with the prison in advance. So, we try to coordinate visits from the outside as much as we can so that visitors won’t be turned away and Dennis can be ready.

Believe it or not, one of the most effective things you could do to help Dennis Dechaine is to write letters to newspapers and pubic officials. Imagine if the thousands of people who have expressed support for a retrial each wrote to their local paper and legislators. You don’t have to be an expert in the facts of the case. Just speaking out for what you think is right will make a significant impact.

Below is contact info for some Maine media and state officials. To find how to reach your state senator and representative, please go to http://www.maine.gov/legis.

Trial & Error is a grassroots organization of volunteers, and we can use your help. So, if you are aligned with our cause of securing a retrial for Dennis Dechaine, please consider making a financial donation and/or giving some of your time.

FUNDS STILL NEEDED

Now that the Maine Supreme Court has denied Dennis’s appeal, the next step is to approach the Federal Appeals Court. If permission is granted to present the case, we will start all over again with the expense of mounting a defense. Your contribution, whatever its size, will make a big difference.

Please give now by check or use PayPal to complete your donation with just a few clicks.